19 observations on the French language

Published: May 7, 2018, 1:45 p.m.

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This week we have Ben and Adeline, the brains behind a new French-learning company called Ilini, and they share some truly interesting things about the French language.

This is an episode for you language lovers and language learners out there.

Oh yes, and Ilini is a website that helps you learn real life French via videos that are a mix of entertainment and news. Check it out if you want to improve your real-life French skills.

The 19 observations:

Small talk

1. You can respond to "how are you" (\'ca va\') with "The peach".

Yes, if someone asks how you are and you\'re in good form, you can respond with \\u201cLa peche\\u201d. It means you\\u2019re feeing good. Try it.

2. \\u2026 You can also respond with "the potato".

How are you? The potato. Yep, you can\\xa0 also say "la patate" if things are going well.

3. If you\\u2019re having a good time, you\\u2019ve "got the banana"

Yep, if you\\u2019ve got a big smile on the face, you\\u2019ve got the banana. Why? Well, it\\u2019s the same shape as your smile.

4. You can answer "how are you" with "always".

Oui, if someone says \\u201cca va\\u201d, you can respond with \\u201ctoujours\\u201d meaning that things are always good. It\\u2019s quite a pleasant response, give it a shot.

5. Or you can respond by just saying ca va in response.\\xa0

In fact, you can even have a whole conversation using ca va six times in a row. More on that in point five in this list.\\xa0

6. And it\'s not uncommon to say \'meh\' in response

Or, in French, it\'s just \'bof\'. And apparently it\'s a totally acceptable response to ca va.\\xa0

Complaining

7. If you want to complain, you can say you\\u2019re bowl is full.

If you have le ras le bol, you\\u2019re saying your bowl is full, and you\\u2019ve had enough. There\\u2019s not really a good translation for it in English - but the French use it all the time.

8. You can complain by saying \\u201cit makes me defecate myself\\u201d.

In French: Ca me fait chier

9. And in the same style, the French don\\u2019t "piss you off", they "shit you off".

In French:\\xa0Faire chier quelqu\\u2019un

Funny French expressions

10. If someone\\u2019s lying, they\\u2019re \\u201cTelling salads\\u201d.

Or as the French say: Tu me racontes des salades

11. If you\\u2019ve got the blues, you\\u2019ve \\u201cgot the cockroach\\u201d.

Or as the French say: Jai le cafard

12. If someone\\u2019s annoying you, they\\u2019re \\u201cbreaking your feet\\u201d

Or as the French say: Tu mes casses les pieds

English Words that don\\u2019t exist in French

Yep, lastly, here are seven common English words that don\\u2019t have a good, single word translation into French.

13. Healthy

14. Cheap

15. Hug

16. Siblings

17. Successful

18. Sleepy

19. Abroad

That\'s the list. Listen to the full episode if you want to hear these ideas explained a bit more. And once again, sign up for Ilini here. It\\u2019s free to get a taste.

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